| Unión Argentina de Rugby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
| Founded | 10 April 1899; 126 years ago (1899-04-10) (as "River Plate Rugby Union")[1] |
| World Rugby affiliation | 1987 |
| Sudamérica Rugby affiliation | 1988 |
| President | Gabriel Travaglini |
| Men's coach | Felipe Contepomi |
| Website | uar.com.ar |
TheArgentine Rugby Union (Spanish:Unión Argentina de Rugby, abbreviated "UAR") is the governing body forrugby union in Argentina. It is a member ofWorld Rugby, with a seat on that body's Executive Council, and a founding member ofSudamérica Rugby.
The UAR organises all the national teams, includingSenior (Pumas),U-20 (Pumitas),Argentina XV,Sevens and Women's squads and the franchiseJaguares that participated inSANZAAR'sSuper Rugby competition.
The first rugby match in Argentina was played in 1873, in theBuenos Aires Cricket Club Ground sited inPalermo, Buenos Aires. Only 24 players (all of them wereEnglish) could meet to contest the match. The teams were namedBancos ("Banks" in Spanish) andCiudad ("City") and formed with 11 and 13 players respectively.
That same year, another match was played on the Polo Field ofFlores AC, part of land owned by the Unzué family. The teams were calledInglaterra ("England") andEl Mundo ("The World"). The first team was formed byRoyal Navy officers that were temporarily in Buenos Aires, with the addition of some English citizens who resided in Argentina. Its rival was formed by English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish people plus some Argentine-born players of English descent.
On May 14, 1874, theRugby Football Unionrules were adopted to play rugby in Argentina. Those rules were used for the first time during the match contested at Buenos Aires Cricket Club between two teams from that institution. The teams were calledEl bando del Sr. Trench ("Mr. Trench's side"), andEl bando del Sr. Hogg ("Mr. Hogg's side").[2]
Nevertheless, other sources say that the first game under the rules of rugby was played on Thursday, 14 May 1874, at David Mathven's country house, inCaballito, Buenos Aires.[3][4] Buenos Aires FC also played the first inter-provincial rugby game in Argentina, when it facedRosario AC in the city ofRosario, on 28 June 1886.[5]
In 1899, clubsBelgrano,Rosario,Lomas,Buenos Aires andFlores[6] founded the "River Plate Rugby Union", naming Leslie William Corry-Smith as president.[7][1] The body organizedthe first championshipthat same year, played by the five founding members. In the inaugural game, Lomas defeated Buenos Aires by 11–4.[8] Lomas would be the first Argentine champion, winning the title at the end of the season.[4]
The sport requested affiliation with theInternational Olympic Committee (COI), who advised them to add Argentina to their name and so they became the "Unión Argentina de Rugby" on 29 November 1951.
This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) after being invited to the inauguralRugby World Cup in1987.
When the rest of therugby union world went professional in 1995, the UAR decided to keep the game amateur. Also, the Buenos Aires clubs split off the UAR and formed theUnión de Rugby de Buenos Aires (URBA), which has the same status as other provincial unions.
Argentine players who opt to go overseas to play professionally (historically inItaly andFrance, with an increasing number today playing inEngland) remain eligible for national team selection (although this was not originally the case). As a result, the national team was heavily, though not exclusively, made up of European-based players. In 2016, the UAR formed theJaguares team to compete in theSuper Rugby competition. Also, it established a policy of selecting Pumas players from Super Rugby teams only, thereby excluding players from European clubs.
The first national team (under the name "The River Plate Rugby Football Union") made its debut against theBritish Lions (named "Combined British") when theytoured Argentina in 1910 as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of theRevolución de Mayo. The match was played on 12 June and the Argentina side lost 28–3.[9][10]
Argentina officially joinedThe Rugby Championship following a meeting inBuenos Aires on November 23, 2011.[11] They became a full member ofSANZAAR, the body which operatesSuper Rugby andThe Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union, from the start of 2016.
The Union had different names over the years. Them are detailed below:[1]
Regional Unions affiliated to Unión Argentina:
| Union | Region | Establ. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto Valle del Rio Negro y Neuquén | Neuquén,Río Negro | 1959 | |
| Andina | La Rioja,Catamarca | 2009 | |
| Austral | Chubut,Río Negro | 1971 | |
| Buenos Aires | Greater Buenos Aires | 1995 | Originally, Buenos Aires clubs were UAR direct affiliates |
| Valle de Chubut | Chubut | 1971 | |
| Córdoba | Córdoba | 1931 | |
| Cuyo | Mendoza | 1945 | |
| Entre Ríos | Entre Ríos | 1979 | Was part of the Unión de Rugby de Rosario until 1980. |
| Formosa | Formosa | 1988 | |
| Jujuy | Jujuy | 1966 | |
| Lagos del Sur | Bariloche | 2001 | Also includes some regions of Río Negro, Chubut and Neuquén Provinces. |
| Mar del Plata | Mar del Plata | 1951 | Also includes teams ofTandil. |
| Misiones | Misiones | 1977 | |
| Nordeste | Chaco,Corrientes | 1963 | |
| Oeste de Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires,La Pampa | 1986 | |
| Rosario | Rosario,Córdoba | 1928 | |
| Salta | Salta | 1958 | |
| San Luis | San Luis | 2003 | |
| San Juan | San Juan | 1952 | Founded after separating from Unión de Cuyo. |
| Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | 2008 | Includes some clubs fromChile. |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 1955 | Separated from the Unión de Rugby del Litoral (today UR Rosario) in 1955, initially with clubs fromEntre Ríos affiliated. |
| Santiago del Estero | Santiago del Estero | 1968 | |
| Sur | Buenos Aires,La Pampa,Viedma | 1954 | |
| Tierra del Fuego | Tierra del Fuego,Argentine Antarctica | 2000 | |
| Tucumán | Tucumán | 1944 | Originally part of Unión de Rugby del Norte. |
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